Swoyambhunath Stupa of Nepal

Swoyambhunath, situated on the top of a hill, west of Kathmandu, is one of the most popular, holy and instantly recognizable symbols of Nepal. The temple is colloquially known as the 'Monkey Temple' because of the large tribe of roving monkeys who guard the temple. It is hard to say how the Swoyambhunath Stupa came to exist without explaining the story of how Kathmandu was found. The legend says, and this is how everyone will explain how history went:

The Kathmandu Valley that we see today was once a great lake. A Chinese saint, Bodhisattva Manjusri was exploring this uncharted land and during his travels he came across this beautiful lake where he saw a brilliant light coming beaming up from a lotus floating in the center of the lake. He took out his sword and cut a slit into a nearby hill so he might get a closer look at the lotus in hopes he might be able to worship it. The cut caused all of the water to flow out of the lake leaving the fertile valley and the lotus behind.

Eventually man settled in the valley and created what is now the Kathmandu Valley but since the discovery of the lotus, the hilltop that the lotus was floating over has been worshiped, Swoyambhu or “the self-existent.” The light emitted from the lotus was said to be so strong that after a while it was too, much for anyone to bear. The light was eventually filtered with structures to house the powers of the Lord. Around the 13th century a large dome shaped structure was added to the other layers that it had accumulated over the years. At this time the stupas central mast was damaged, but it was replaced and further developed at that time.

This temple, one of the most ancient in this part of the world, is a landmark of the valley. It is a major gathering place for multiple festivals taking place throughout the year like “Saraswati Puja” dedicated to Saraswati the Goddess of Learning and the more crowded festivals of the year are the “Tibetan New Year” and “Buddha Jayanti” or “Buddha’s Birthday” where thousands of devotees travel from all around to come together at this location to spend all day singing, dancing and celebrating the merry festival.

Access to the temple you could walk from the bottom of the hill up the 350+ stairs or if you are not up for that challenge for whatever reason, there is a road that drives you almost to the top of the hill. The location of the temple being on a hilltop is a perfect place to see panoramic views of the Kathmandu Valley. And of course for those wanting to see the largest image of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Nepal, it is also here in a monastery next to the stupa.

Facts of Swoyambunath Stupa

Location

: Kathmandu Valley

Era

: Before 5th Century

Unique Features

: 365 steps lead to the Temple that is believed to be self-created or self-existence

Category

: Cultural in world heritage site

Major Attractions

: Taleju Temple and Hanuman Dhoka

Major Attractions

The Stupa - Swoyambhunath Stupa is a golden spire crowning a conical wooded hill. It is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu Valley. It has a lofty white dome and a glittering golden spire that are visible from all sides of the valley. Historical records found on a stone inscription give evidence that the stupa was already an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination by the 5th century A.D. i.e. before the coming of Buddhism in the valley.

Area Surrounding- The surroundings of Swoyambhunarayan Stupa consists of chaityas, temples, painted images of deities and numerous other religious objects.

Harati Temple- The temple is dedicated to the goddess of smallpox and other epidemics. The presence of the Harati Devi temple signifies the intermingling of the pantheons of Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal.

Palace of Peace - Atop Syombunath hill is another fascinating, though less visited temple, Shantipur, popularly known as the 'Palace of Peace'. It is said that inside the secret underground chamber of the temple lives the 8th century Tantric master, Shantikar Acharya. The master, it is believed, has lived through centuries and has full control on the weather and the King of Kathmandu must go to him in times of drought.

Architecture - Amazing to look at, the architectural beauty of Swoyambunath Temple gives way to the feelings of reverence and adoration. The stupa consists of a dome at the base and a cubical structure with eyes of Buddha looking in all the four directions. There are pentagonal Toran present above each of the four sides with statues engraved in them. Behind and above the torana there are thirteen tiers. Above all the tiers, there is a small space above which the Gajur is present.

Mythology - According to Swoyambhu Puran, the entire Kathmandu valley was once filled with an enormous lake, out of which grew a mystical Lotus. The valley came to be known as Swoyambhu, meaning 'Self-Created' or 'Self-Existent'. The Bodhistava Manjushri had a vision of the lotus at Swayambhu and traveled there to worship it.

In order to make the site more accessible to human pilgrims, Manjushri cut a gorge through the mountains surrounding the valley. The water drained out of the lake, leaving the valley in which Kathmandu now lies. The lotus was transformed into a hill and the flower becomes the Swoyambhunath stupa.

Symbology - The dome at the base represents the entire world. When a person gets free (represented by eyes of mercy and self knowledge) from the bonds of the world, the person reaches the state a bit higher. After that, the person has to cross thirteen stages represented by the tiers before attaining Nirvana (salvation)